Branding: Every interaction counts

Last week I wanted to take the train, but when I got there, apparently there was some kind of maintenance going on and I couldn’t take the train.

I remembered from the time when I lived in Holland that it always was a real pain to find out what to do when there was maintenance. The communication was confusing.

This week, however, I had an experience that was quite the opposite."

SO WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH BRANDING?

Well let me explain.

I believe that in branding every interaction your client or prospect has with your business counts. They get in contact with your brand —it could be on your website, it could be a phone call, it could even be when they watch a video or they see you doing something.

“Your brand is the all-encompassing feeling, the experience of your clients when they come into contact with your company.”

And what I thought this transportation business did very well was that they communicated about the maintenance in three ways. They communicated in three different ways with me and they did it very well.

So first there where visual cues everywhere like a sign that said 'if you want to go in this direction, follow this sign —if you want to go to this direction, follow that sign'.

There where people from the company available at every corner, directing everyone and you could ask them questions like ‘I want to go here, where should I go?’

They were actively helping people. When you needed help or even when someone looked lost, they were asking questions to help them out. They were proactive about it.

There were also signs for the buses (because instead of the trains, you had to take the bus), so they temporarily placed signposts on the street that told you where the buses were going to be.

They even handed out flyers with more details on the maintenance work.

It was well organized.

I didn't have to look for anything and they were very helpful. That made a good impression on me. And even though they were having maintenance —which was problematic for me, they made the experience as painless as possible.

SO WHAT CAN YOU TAKE AWAY FROM MY EXPERIENCE?

Every interaction with your brand counts. Every time you interact with someone, whether it's visually or you talk to someone or you behave in some way, you make an impression on that person. They are all interactions with your brand. It's important that you realise that.

This interaction with me, with my business, with my brand... —will it make a good impression?

So whether you communicate something on your website, you communicate verbally on the phone or in an email, the charity you support or the fact that you recycle, they all make an impression on your clients and prospects. And they should all work together, they should be consistent. They should all convey the same idea —the idea that you wish to communicate with your brand.

VisualEverything you show (to your audience).

AudioEverything you say (to your audience).

BehaviourEverything you do (with your audience).

I think that this transportation company, here in Barcelona, did a great job on all three.

So when you're working on your communication, keep these three ways of communication in mind and try to integrate all three into your brand.

HOW IS YOUR BRAND PERFORMING?

How well have you integrated the three ways of communication into your brand? And what's the one thing are you going to change to improve your brand communication?

Well, think about it and leave your answer in the comments below.

With pleasure,

Atelier Pan | Brand Design for Conscious EntrepreneursBecome more credible, attract the right clients and take your business to the next level.

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